Culture · Full coverage

International Research Uses AI and Chemistry to Trace Origins of Dead Sea Scrolls

How 5 Israeli newsrooms covered this story — translated into English and compared side by side.

60% right-leaning

Center 2Right 3

First reported by Walla · Jun 30, 2026

What happened

An international team led by Professor Malden Popović will use AI and chemical analysis to trace the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls, aiming to identify where they were produced and written. The five-year project, funded by a 2.5 million euro ERC grant, involves analyzing scroll materials and handwriting to map ancient Judean knowledge networks.

01ERC funds 2.5 million euro, five-year project to study Dead Sea Scrolls’ origins using AI and chemistry.
02Researchers will analyze 250 parchment and papyrus samples from the scrolls and compare them with Egyptian papyri.
03The study aims to identify whether scrolls were produced in one or multiple locations or transported to the Judean desert.
04AI will process chemical and handwriting data to detect material and stylistic fingerprints of the scrolls.
05The project involves international labs and the Israel Antiquities Authority, creating a unique chemical database.
06Israeli Heritage Minister calls the research a national duty to preserve and share the scrolls’ legacy.

Summary translated & synthesized from the sources below by baba. Read each original for the full report.

In this story

People